During Benson Henderson's win over Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 5, the Fox broadcast repeatedly cut away to a shot of the empty octagon. Was it a technical difficulty? Did someone on Fox's broadcast truck hit the wrong button?
No. Diaz threw up the middle finger at his opponent, and the network cut away instead of risking a fine from the Federal Communications Commission.

We've hidden Diaz's objectionable gesture, but you get the point.

This isn't the first time Diaz has caused a stir on network television. After a Strikeforce fight in 2010 on CBS, Diaz, his brother Nick and their teammates got into a postfight melee when Jason "Mayhem" Miller jumped into the cage after a Jake Shields win.
Diaz is known for using trash talk and throwing up the middle finger during fights. He famously locked in a triangle choke with his legs on Kurt Pellegrino and put up both fingers as he finished the submission. Henderson knew this and prepared for Diaz's game.
"It's something I actually had a little bit of a hard time with, but once my training partners got together, they all started talking crap to me in the middle of sparring and I'd get angry," Henderson said on Fuel TV's postfight show. "They helped control it and I did a pretty good job of being very focused and not letting that affect my emotional state in the middle of the fight."

I was laughing pretty hard when they kept doing their equivalent to bleeping his middle fingers. I don't know if Nate was trying to get in his head to make him make a mistake, or if Nate is just stupid. Both are likely.

I love the Diaz brothers, but their antics get to be a bit too much for even me sometimes.

I was laughing pretty hard when they kept doing their equivalent to bleeping his middle fingers. I don't know if Nate was trying to get in his head to make him make a mistake, or if Nate is just stupid. Both are likely.

I love the Diaz brothers, but their antics get to be a bit too much for even me sometimes.

I was laughing when they were in that leg lock position. Nothing new for Diaz, but I'm sure Dana told him to tone it down beforehand since they were on Network Tv.

I was laughing pretty hard when they kept doing their equivalent to bleeping his middle fingers. I don't know if Nate was trying to get in his head to make him make a mistake, or if Nate is just stupid. Both are likely.

I love the Diaz brothers, but their antics get to be a bit too much for even me sometimes.

Yeah, I noticed during BJ's introduction they muted the volume. Apparently his corner was using some colorful language to try and motivate him. When the middle finger incident happened i couldn't help by laugh. If THAT'S the kind of thing that gets the FCC in a tizzy, then they need to switch to boxers, not tighty whities. Personally i don't find it particularly offensive, HOWEVER, i find it odd that it's being used by a guy that's getting his a$$ kicked all over the cage.

He needs to learn how to use the finger more effectively.....like Nick.